I would like to continue breastfeeding, but my milk is drying up. Help!?

Question

My daughter is only four months old and my milk is drying up. I would like to continue nursing her, but I am at work all day. Typically I go pump at work, but the last few weeks I haven't during the day because I I had a trainee with me. Even at home, I can only get about an ounce and a half per time. Is there anything I can do to produce more milk, or is it hopeless?

ANY advice, please.

Answer 1

you need to pump at work. sent the trainee on a coffee break or something. otherwise you will start to lose your supply. the more you nurse and pump, the more your body will make

Answer 2

If you are going to maintain your supply you must pump while you are at work.  Breast feeding is based on supply and demand.  If you do not remove milk then it will stop producing.  Double pump every 2 hours to get your supply back up.  Once it is up again you can probably go 3-4 hours between pumping at work.  When you are with your baby nurse as frequently as possible to get back your supply.

Answer 3

Do you nurse her when you are home?

Mom's supply can adjust to basically anything.  Mom's supply will adjust if baby sleeps through the night, and most moms can maintain a supply if they choose to only nurse once or twice a day.

Now if you want to be able to pump enough milk when you are not at work for her to eat while you are at work then you will have to pump a LOT.  I would pump the opposite breast while she nurses every time she nurses when you are home (and awake -not during the middle of the night).  Then after she is done nursing pump the side she nurse on for 10 minutes -even if you get no milk.  About 20 minutes later pump both sides for 10 minutes again.  This will trick your body into making more milk.

Another option is to encourage your baby to nurse when you are home, particularly during the night, and not to take bottles while you are gone. This is called reverse cycling.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/weani...

Will my milk dry up if I only nurse once or twice per day?

Most moms find that they can wean down to a few feedings a day (or even just one) and maintain their supplies at this level for extended periods of time. In established lactation, milk production depends primarily upon milk removal - if milk is removed from the breast, then the breast will continue to make milk.

Breast refusal due to flow preference is probably a greater danger to the breastfeeding relationship than too-low milk supply. Frequent use of bottles increases the possibility that baby will become frustrated with the slower flow of milk at the breast, and this may lead to breast refusal and an earlier weaning than anticipated. See What can I do when baby wants a faster milk flow? for some tips on dealing with flow preference.

Partial weaning as an option for working mothers

Partial weaning may be a good option for working moms:

    * who are unable to pump at work due to work schedule or lack of a place to pump

    * who do not wish to pump at work

    * who have been pumping but are ready to wean from pumping during work hours (many pumping moms wean from the pump at around a year, although some continue pumping long-term).

Partial weaning in a work situation generally involves offering the child formula, milk, or other foods when mom and baby are separated, and nursing only when mom and baby are together.

Some of these moms encourage their child to reverse cycle (nurse more when mom and baby are together) so that few (or no) supplements are needed during work hours.

Some moms feel that their supply decreases too much when they are nursing infrequently and not pumping at all. If you feel that your milk supply is decreasing after a period of no pumping during work hours, you might consider trying to pump at least once per day, even if it's just for a brief period.

The key to maintaining your breastfeeding relationship without pumping during work hours is to only nurse when you are with baby. For example, if you have a regular five-day-per-week daytime job, then use no bottles during the evening or on weekends. Take advantage of every opportunity to put your baby to your breast when the two of you are together. Limit pacifier use when at home, too, so that baby seeks out the breast to satisfy his need to suck. If your baby associates mom with nursing only (rather than bottle feeding), then he may be less likely to refuse the breast due to bottle/flow preference.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumpi...

What is normal when it comes to pumping output and changes in pumping output?

Most moms who are nursing full-time are able to pump around 1/2 to 2 ounces total (for both b*****s) per pumping session. Moms who pump more milk per session may have an oversupply of milk, or may respond better than average to the pump, or may have been able to increase pump output with practice. Many moms think that they should be able to pump 4-8 ounces per pumping session, but even 4 ounces is an unusually large pumping output.

It is quite normal to need to pump 2-3 times to get enough milk for one feeding for baby (remember that the pump cannot get as much milk as a baby who nurses effectively).

Many moms are able to pump more milk per session when they are separated from baby. Milk pumped when you are nursing full-time is "extra" milk -- over and beyond what baby needs. Don't get discouraged if you are trying to build up a freezer stash when nursing full time and don't get much milk per pumping session -- this is perfectly normal and expected.

[...]

Increasing frequency

    * Nurse more often when you are with your baby.

    * Are you pumping frequently enough? Is there any way you can add a pumping session at work? If necessary, when pumping times are very limited, adding even a short 5 minute pumping session is better than not pumping at all.

    * Add a pumping session or two outside of work hours or on the weekend. Try pumping after baby nurses, or pump one side while baby nurses on the other side. You might also try pumping while baby is napping, at night, or when baby goes longer than usual between nursings.

    * Does your baby complain about slower milk flow when you pump between nursings? If so, try single pumping between nursings, instead of double pumping. Although single pumping is not as effective for increasing milk supply, this leaves one breast more full, so the milk will flow more quickly. See also these tips for babies who want a faster milk flow.

    * Try cluster pumping, instead of a regular nursing/pumping session. Sit down with your baby and your pump, and nurse and pump every half-hour to hour for several hours.

    * Some moms find it helpful to do a 2-3 day long power pump every couple of weeks to "super charge" their milk supply. This is simply a nursing vacation with pumping added in. On these days, get lots of rest, nurse very frequently and pump after as many nursing sessions as possible.

Removing more milk from the b*****s

    * Are you pumping long enough? When pumping to increase milk supply, it's recommended that you (double) pump for at least 15 minutes; to ensure that the pump removes an optimum amount of milk from the breast, keep pumping for 2-5 minutes after the last drops of milk. If you don't always have time to pump this long, remember that adding even a short pumping session (increasing frequency but perhaps not removing milk thoroughly) is helpful.

    * Use a good double pump. Double pumping generally results in better pumping output and is better for maintaining milk supply. Pump quality can make a huge difference in pumping output, and different moms have better results with different pumps. However, some moms with abundant milk supplies do not respond well to pumping (even using the best of pumps) and do not get much milk when pumping. These moms may get better results using manual expression.

    * Use breast massage (see "Assisting the Milk Ejection Reflex" toward the bottom of the link) and breast compression.

    * If your pump has a soft shield or shield insert available (for example, the Medela SoftFit breastshield or the Avent "Petal" massager insert), then try using the pump with and without it. Some moms have also found that they can use the Avent "Petal" massager inserts with other brands of pumps (for example, Medela or Ameda). Some moms get better results with the softer shield; some get better results without it.

    * Switching to a larger pump flange increases pumping output for some moms.

(see more)

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/17feed_ba...

2. But getting the baby to take a bottle surely won't hurt.

Not necessarily true. Some babies do fine with both. The occasional bottle, when breastfeeding is going well, will not hurt. But if the baby is getting several bottles a day on a regular basis, and, in addition, your milk supply decreases because the baby is nursing less, it is quite possible that the baby will start refusing the breast, even if he is older than 6 months of age.

3. Babies need to drink milk when the mother is not at home.

Not true. Three or four good nursings during a 24 hour period plus a variety of solid foods gives the baby all he needs nutritionally, and thus he does not need any other type of milk when you are at your outside job. Of course, solid foods can be mixed with expressed milk or other milk, but this is not necessary.

4. If the baby is to get milk other than breastmilk, it needs to be artificial baby milk (infant formula) until the baby is at least 9 months of age.

Not true. If the baby is breastfeeding a few times a day and getting fair quantities of a variety of solid foods, infant formula is neither necessary nor desirable. Indeed, babies who have not had infant formula before 5 or 6 months of age often refuse to drink it because it tastes pretty bad. (If you want to convince yourself of how little we know about breastmilk, ask yourself why it is that, although breastmilk and infant formulas have the same amount of sugar, breastmilk is so much sweeter). If you want to give the baby some other sort of milk, homogenized milk is acceptable at 6 months of age, as long as it is not the baby’s only food. In fact, if the baby is taking good quantities of a wide variety of foods, breastfeeding 3 or 4 times a day, and growing well, homogenized milk or 2% milk is good enough, but also not necessary.

5. Babies need to drink milk to get calcium.

Not true. If you are worried about the baby’s intake of calcium, he can eat cheese or yogurt. There is no need to drink the calcium. Besides, if the baby is also breastfeeding, breastmilk still contains calcium.

Answer 4

It's very difficult to maintain your milk supply if you work full time and can't nurse or pump every few hours.  I've been there, done that and know how heartbreaking it is to have this happen.

One thing you can do is to have the baby sleep in your bed and allow her to nurse as often as possible all night long.  You can actually sleep while she nurses!  In the morning, pump and then nurse her again so that your b*****s are completely empty.  It's important to pump first because the pump isn't as efficient at getting all the milk as the baby is.  You MUST take time out at work to pump.  As soon as you get home, pump again and then nurse to completely empty the b*****s.  On weekends, pump and nurse as often as possible to get the milk supply back up.

Good luck to you.

Answer 5

You have to pump while you are away...Your milk supply is really low because you haven't been pumping like you should be....you need to feed on demand when you are at home with your baby and pump after she is done nursing to get your supply back up....as you know already it is supply and demand with milk supply....drink alot of fluids

Answer 6

Use fenugreek. It increases your  milk supply. Also there are some remedies with fenugreek in the internet. Try it. Also, have lots and lots of fluids. Whenever you go home, breastfeed your baby so he/she can empty your b*****s fully.

Answer 7

i think massages help keep the milk flow going. it is a fact that your child's brain is better the longer you breast feed it. You should go to a doctor maybe one who specializes in babies and talk to him/her and he will have a solution